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Formula One Veers Into Global Politics Again

By Brad Spurgeon October 26, 2012 10:07 amOctober 26, 2012 10:07 am

xpb/Associated PressThe Ferrari car of Fernando Alonso at the Formula One circuit in India on Friday bears the flag of the Italian Navy, in support of two Italian marines held by the Indian government over the killing of two Indian fishermen in February.

DELHI — Just when it seemed international politics would not enter back into a Formula One racing weekend until the series visits Bahrain next year — remember the worldwide protestations against the series going to the Gulf nation in April? — political controversy has again struck the paddock, at the Indian Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday.

This time, the focus is on a single team and not all of Formula One. The team happens to be the best known and one of the best known sports brands in the world: Ferrari. The Italian team’s cars raced in the practice session Friday emblazoned with the image of the Italian Navy’s flag.

The move was a show of solidarity with two Italian marines being held in India after they mistakenly killed two Indian fishermen, thinking they were pirates attacking an Italian ship.

But showing the flag has sparked outrage in the media here. (It has also produced the only red hot — darker than the color of the famous Ferrari livery — excitement of the day, in a practice session that confirmed Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull team as the fastest racers of the moment.)

Stefano Domenicali, the Ferrari team director, had been scheduled to take part in the customary Friday afternoon press conference. He was grilled by both local and foreign media. He refused to provide any detailed answer, other than to say the Italian team was not making a political statement.

It is written in the statues of the International Automobile Federation, the sport’s governing body, that the teams must not take part in or make any political or religious statements.

“There was no political intention of this,” said Mr. Domenicali to one Indian journalist, before becoming visibly annoyed with an insistent British journalist who said Ferrari was clearly taking sides in a political matter. “It’s not true what you’re saying,” Mr. Domenicali said to the journalist.

Immediately after the press conference, the Ferrari team spokesperson was grilled by the Indian media and others in the paddock, and he too said this was not a political statement. He reminded the journalists that the team has frequently used its cars to express support during times of tragedy, such as when the its two cars raced at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 2001 less than a week after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The noses of the cars bore black paint. The cars were used to make a similar gesture in Italy after the Japanese tsunami and earthquake.

Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One promoter, when queried by a reporter in the paddock, said that it was not a problem for him to deal with, that the series was not political.

“We’d look at the national sporting authority here to have a look at that,” said Mr. Ecclestone, referring to the Federation of Motor Sports Club of India.

Mr. Ecclestone and all of the Formula One teams were severely criticized in April for running the Bahrain Grand Prix while a political uprising was underway in that country. The race had been canceled for the same reason last year, but Formula One had decided to race in Bahrain this year partly in order to not be seen bending to political pressure, which could in itself be considered a political statement.

According to The Associated Press, Ferrari’s decision to run the cars with the navy flags was hailed by the Italian foreign minister, Guilio Terzi, who tweeted: “Congratulations to Ferrari for displaying the navy’s symbol at the India GP. It will show the sailors the whole country is behind them.”

The Italian marines are accused of killing the fishermen in February, while the navy was protecting an Italian cargo ship in the Indian Ocean. The marines were granted bail but must remain in India. Italy has requested they be allowed to return home as the incident took place in international waters.

Just as happened in Bahrain, of course, with Formula One being under the spotlight of the international media, a case that would not otherwise have been heard to such an extent around the world has once again received a massive amount of publicity.

Of course, had there been some bigger surprise event, like the only Indian driver in the series — Narain Karthikeyan of the HRT team — setting the fastest lap of the day rather than one of the slowest, which he did, there would have been less talk about sailors…..